The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered Speaker Biman Banerjee to take a decision on the disqualification petition filed against Mukul Roy by October 7.
“In case of failure, this court will decide further course of action to be taken in the matter,” an order by the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj said.
Mr. Roy, who won on the BJP ticket in the Assembly polls, had on June 11 joined the Trinamool Congress. Later he was elected the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
BJP MLA Ambika Roy has approached the Court seeking disqualification of Mr. Roy. The court pointed out that the allegation of the petitioner is that Mr. Roy had defected from the BJP to the AITC.
“A petition for disqualification was pending before the Speaker even before he was nominated as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts. The disqualification is from the date when the act of defection took place. Failure on the part of the Speaker to adjudicate upon that petition despite the maximum period provided therefor having expired is creating more trouble as a result of which the interference of this court has been called for,” the Court said.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India announced that bypolls for four remaining constituencies in West Bengal will be held on October 30. The constituencies are Dinhata, Santipur, Khardaha & Gosaba. The counting of votes will be held on November 2.
